Electrostatic gen erating-machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. H. HOYT.

ELBGTROSTATIG GBNERATING MACHINE.

No. 603,041. Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

lnvenmr MZ. M n .jpl @y @Qhorney l n N' A wxjmesses n' u. wAsmNoroN. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADRIAN H. HOYT, OF PENACOOK, NEX/V HAMPSHIRE.

ELECTROSTATIC GEN ERATlNG-NIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,041, dated April 26, 1898.

Application filed August 9, 1897. Serial No. 6471550- (NO model-5 To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, ADRIAN H. HOYT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Penacook, in the county of Merrimac and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrostatic Generating-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to static` generatingmachines for producing electric currents by electrostatic induction.

Such machines are under various conditions liable to sudden reversals or back discharges, and for certain classes of worksuch, for instance, as exciting` Crookes tubesthis is very undesirable, as the discharges or currents should be in the same direction.

One of the objects of my improvements is to provide a simple and convenient means for reversing the direction of current in such machines when desired, and another is to enable the operator to readily adjust the spark-gap distance, which is very desirable when Leyden condensers are employed; and together with other novel constructions of the necessary elements of such machines my invention consists in the adjustable spark gap arms of a novel construction, which will be fully set forth in the following specification and claims and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, of Which- Figure l is a side elevation of my improved machine complete, Fig. 2 being a plan view of same, showing a portion of the wooden casing broken away for the better display of the interior mechanism. Fig. 3 is an elevation, on an enlarged scale, showing a portion of the top of the casing carrying the terminal post and spark-gap arms in a modified form of construction. Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the glass disks having strips of tin-foil secured thereto,which act as armatures. Fig. G is an enlarged detail showing my improved form of constructing the equalizers and collectors. Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan View showing one of my improved brush holders or clamps.

' Similar reference-letters denote corresponding parts in all the views.

A is the bottom or base of a case a, which may be provided with glass sides or panels a. This case is not essential to the perfect operation of the machine if atmospheric conditions permit, as when the air is dry.

Suitable standards B are provided on the base A, which carry a stationary shaft C and glass plates or disks D, which have a central perforation d somewhat larger than the diameter of said shaft, and are mounted in suitable insulated supports F F, which may be composed of hard rubber and secured to the base A, and a suitable insulated support F for steadying said disks may be placed at their top and secured to an arm or bracketf, extending thence downward and connected to one or both of the standards B. These glass disks are supplied on their adjacent faces with a coating of ordinary shellac, to which armatures G, composed of tin-foil and of the form shown, are made to adhere, over which armatures are placed strips of thin paper, as indicated by dotted lines, to insulate the segments from each other when the disks are placed together, the whole surface being then treated with another coating of shellac, the disks being so arranged that the armatures of one disk are exactly opposite to those of the other.

The disks D are so mounted in the supports F F F as to cause the shaft C to be concentric within their perforations d CZ, which are large enough to freely admit a revolving sleeve H, (without contact,) which is carried on the stationary shaft C. To this sleeve are rigidly secured hard-rubber friction-plates l and a pulley t', which may be driven by a belt J, passing thence over a larger pulleyj, which may be secured to a shaft j', mounted in standards K, situated at one end of the machine and carrying suitable connecting-gearing and a hand-crank, as shown in Figs. l and 2, for imparting to the friction-plates l, which are placed at opposite sides of and bear against the glass disks, a high velocity.

The two standards L contain a brass tube or bushing through which pass the arms WX, supporting the collectors M, and the bars or arms m2, which connect with the inner coating of the condensers N, and brass studs n fn, which are also connected to the Leyden condensers, project from the base A and are IOO perforated for the reception of a rod N. IVhen the condensers are not required for use, this rod N may be moved horizontally, as seen by dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that one of its ends is withdrawn from one of the studs n, the stud n, through which it also passes, serving as a guide to hold it in readiness to be again pushed into the adjacent stud or connection n when desired. The spark-gap posts O are also provided with an interior brass rod or bushing which enters that of the standard L, and these posts O pass upward through the top of the case a and carry near their upper end the spark-gap arms P, which pass laterally through said posts in contact with their brass bushings and are provided at one end with an insulated handle p and at their other end with a brass ball p', from which the spark passes to the ball q of the reversing device, consisting of a hard-rubber standard Q, having at one side the upper and lowerbrass balls q, connected with the smaller balls q on the opposite side of said standard and to which the terminals of a Crookes tube may be connected.

Hand-screws o are threaded into the top of the posts O and adapted to bear upon the spark-gap arms P for securing them at any desired adjustment. In Fig. l this adjustment is accomplished by both a sliding and a rotative movement of the spark-gap arms, While the construction shown in Fig. 3 re* quires but a sliding movement for adjusting the spark-gap.

The arms P are bent so that by turning them within the posts O they may act with either the upper or lower ball q of the stand ard Q; but in the construction illustrated in Fig. 3 the spark-gap arms P' are straight and the standard Q carries rods q2, projecting at opposite sides, to the ends of which the large and small balls q q are attached, and this standard Q/ has only to be turned in a horizontal course half a revolution to reverse the current.

In order to simplify the construction of the collectors and equalizers, I form them of sheet metal and serrate that edge which is adjacent to the friction-plates instead of the more expensive comb construction heretofore used, consisting of a barof metal having pins or prongs projecting toward the frietion plates.

My improved equalizers R, havin g their serrated edge r pointing toward the friction plates or disks I, extend radially from opposite sides of a collar 0, which is attached to the shaft C.

The brushes S are secured laterally in the ends of a yoke s, which may be cast in the form shown in the enlarged detail view Fig. 7, and in order to provide a wide bearing at the point of their contact with the glass disks D circular plates s are employed, one being rigidly secured within the yoke on one side and the other being swiveled to the end of a suitable screw 32, which is threaded in the opposite side of said yoke.

Having described my improvements, what I claim isl. In an electrostatic generator, the combination with the terminals for the working circuit, of spark-gap arms adapted for longitudinal and rotative adjustment within their posts, substantially for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electrostatic generator, the combination with a horizontally-rotative standard carrying terminals for the working circuit, of spark-gap arms adapted for longitudinal and rotative adjustment within their posts, substantially for the purpose set forth.

3. In an electrostatic generator, the combination of stationary glass plates mounted in suitable insulated supports and having armatures composed of tin-foil secured to their adjacent faces, friction-plates adapted to revolve in contact with said glass plates, suitable means for driving said frictioirplates at a high rate of speed, a horizontally-rotative standard carrying terminals for the working circuit, spark-gap arms electrically connected with suitable brushes forming contact with said friction-plates, the said brushes located at a point opposite one end of said armatures, and collectors formed of thin metal having one edge serrated and located at a point opposite that end of said armatures most remote from said brushes, substantially for the purpose set forth.

et. In an electrostatic generator, brush-holders comprising a suitable yoke-piece to the free ends of which the brushes are secured, and clamping-plates within and at the opposite end of said yoke, one of said plates being rigidly fastened to said yoke and the other being swiveled to a screw which is threaded to the yoke opposite to said rigid plate.

5. In an electrostatic generator, comprising Leyden jars or condensers, a circuit-breaker consisting of a perforated stud in electrical connection with each jar and a suitable rod litting the perforations of said studs and adapted to connect or disconnect the said jars.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADRIAN II. IIOY'l.

Titnesscsz I. ALBERT Massin, Hormon D. BEAN.

IOO

IIO 

